Survived the Half Marathon

The first time I ran in the Standard Hong Kong Marathon was in 2002, as far as I can remember.  For the first 2 years I ran the 10K.  The comfort felt motivated the move up to the half marathon.  Then a challenge to run the full marathon.  The first time, I couldn’t finish within the time limit.  Since then, I had been able to finish within 6 hours, every time I ran.  Each time, my legs would start to cramp after roughly 30 km.  Each time, I told myself it would be the last time that I torture myself that way. After recovering from the ordeal, however, I would be tempted to try again.  

Covid stopped everything.  For a long time, it was hard to run properly, with all the bizarre requirements on masks.  Then I broke a metatarsal (a “long” bone) in the right foot in late 2020, which took half a year to recover from.  Pulled something in the left knee in 2022, which took another half year.  Then fell and cut open my forehead, which took 16 stitches to close the wound, in early 2024.  Another half year.  In the mean time, I had had grown older, much older.  

Late in 2024, I tried the 10K in the Three-Runway Race at the HK Airport, my first “race” since 2019. Surprisingly, I did OK.    

In early 2025, 3 family members came back to HK to run in the half marathon in the HK Marathon.  I decided to join them, even though I wasn’t very confident I could do it.  In the end, I was much slower than they were, but I was able to finish within the time limit. 

Hence this year, I decided to run again, alone.  I had trained as hard as I could, without endangering myself with a fall.  Often 3 times a week, each at least 10 km.  

The first 10 km felt pretty good.  I was running faster than my normal training pace.  

Just before entering the Western Cross-Harbour Tunnel, I had a feeling I might not be able to sustain the pace.  It felt ominous when we enter the dark, gaping mouth of the monster that was the tunnel. 

When we exited the tunnel, it felt like escaping the gloom into the bright sun.  But the climb up to the elevated highway was tough. I willed myself to not stop.  While the legs start to threaten to cramp.  

The cheering crowds from Central, to Wanchai, to Causeway Bay was a big encouragement.  It sustained so many of us.  I am grateful and I wold some of them.  

At the end, I found myself finishing with almost exactly the same time as last year.  What does that mean?  I had trained as hard as I could.  I had hoped to make a small improvement.  In the end, no.  Should I be disappointed that this is probably my limit?  That at almost 70, I would not get any better, no matter how hard I tried?

Should I feel good that, at least, I can still run the half marathon?  I cannot decide now.  Perhaps later, when I had some time to reflect on it.  

All in all, I think God that I survived.